Still Chinese, But Looks More High-Quality Than the Temu "Random Letters Are Our Brand Name" Stuff

With a new, better motorcycle, I'd been planning to buy a new, better air pump. I've had two Temu products (one for each of the old bikes). One shit the bed after about six months; the other has held on, but I can't say I really trust it.

Of course, I kept forgetting that I needed to, you know, actually buy the thing until today when I was watching a FortNine video that is "sponsored" by a "PSA" (about 45 seconds in) advising me to "check my damn tire pressure":

And, of course, the "PSA" recommends a brand and offers promo codes (in the video's description text) for discounts on several models. After looking at reviews (and noticing that Ryan FNine prefers this one) I got $6 off the Fanttik X9 Ace Mini (not an affiliate link, but presumably FortNine will get a taste if you use the promo code).

Because I know the trolls will be chiming in with "why not American?" BS, I looked for an American maker of motorcycle air pumps. There's one -- and their product looks fairly large, seems to rely on manual checking of pressure with a separate tool, and has to be connected to the bike's 12-volt battery. The Ace X9 Mini is compact, runs off its own USB C charged battery, and monitors the pressure itself (you can even tell it what pressure to inflate to and walk away -- it will stop when it hits the correct pressure).

I'm planning, Real Soon Now, to consolidate all my ride tools (inflater, plug kit, wrenches, sockets, etc.) into one kit that I can just move between bikes instead of having three separate, but usually incomplete, sets, one always on each bike.

Wordle 1942 Hint

Hint: If you want to get from one side of today's Wordle to the other, you'll need to think "more broadly."

Not Enough? Get the first letter of today's Wordle below.

New to Wordle? You can play it at the New York Times, and here are some thoughts on how I go about solving each day's puzzle.

First Letter: W

I Guess I'm Riding a Bagger Now

But only when I want to. The Viking Bags 28-Liter Pantheon Saddlebags (not an affiliate link) come with "quick mount/release" hardware, so I can have them off in about 30 seconds (there's an internal lock so no one else can remove them, at least easily).

They arrived this morning, I installed them in 15 minutes or less (as advertised!), and took them on a quick test ride. No unseemly rattling, etc. I stopped mid-ride to snap a picture.

Pretty sweet. I think I'm going to like them, and they'll definitely make long-distance, multi-day trips more practical.